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Description
As Vietnam’s English education increasingly moves toward a second-language-oriented model, learners need not only lexical knowledge but also the ability to interpret figurative expressions in culturally appropriate ways. Among these, English animal idioms denoting human personality remain challenging for Vietnamese ESL learners because their meanings are shaped by culturally embedded metaphorical associations rather than literal translations. Grounded in Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this study explores how cognitive-linguistic insights can be applied to teach English animal idioms, thereby enhancing Vietnamese learners’ personality vocabulary. Specifically, it examines cross-linguistic metaphorical mappings between English and Vietnamese and identifies shared conceptual models, such as HUMAN DILIGENCE IS A DRAFT ANIMAL and HUMAN IGNORANCE IS A FARM ANIMAL. By systematically analyzing these mapping models, the study provides evidence that many animal idioms across both languages share comparable cognitive mechanisms, ecological experiences, and sociocultural observations. Exploiting such conceptual similarities can be pedagogically effective in reducing learners’ cognitive load and moving idiom acquisition beyond rote memorization. Based on these cross-linguistic findings, the paper proposes a conceptual-metaphor-based instructional framework consisting of five stages: awareness raising, metaphor mapping, cross-cultural comparison, contextualized practice, and communicative production. Expected participant outcomes include a deeper understanding of how animal imagery structures personality meanings, resulting in improved vocabulary retention and advanced idiomatic competence. Ultimately, the study demonstrates how theoretical cognitive mapping can be practically translated into effective ESL classroom strategies for Vietnamese learners.
Keywords: conceptual metaphor, animal idioms, personality vocabulary, cognitive linguistics, Vietnamese ESL learners, figurative competence.
Biography
Author: Ho Thi Thuc Nhi is a lecturer and the Deputy Director of the Undergraduate English Language Program at the Faculty of English, University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Da Nang, Viet Nam. She has been teaching since 2013, with her current instruction focusing on English Interpretation. Her academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in English Pedagogy, a Master’s degree in the English Language, and an additional Bachelor’s degree in the French Language. She is presently a doctoral candidate specializing in cognitive linguistics. Her research primarily focuses on cognitive metaphors and metonymy, exploring how cognitive mechanisms shape language across different cultures. In addition to her university teaching, she contributes to the broader academic community through her work in language proficiency evaluation. She remains dedicated to enhancing educational practices and has been commended for her ongoing contributions to teaching.
Co-author: Dr. Huynh Ngoc Mai Kha is Vice Rector of University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang, Vietnam. She holds a PhD in Contrastive Linguistics from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Queensland, Australia. Her research interests include cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor theory, English language education, teacher professional development, technology-enhanced language teaching, multilingualism, and language education policy. She has led and participated in several university- and ministry-level research projects and has published widely on cognitive metaphor, English language teaching, ICT integration, multilingual education, and teacher training for English education reform.
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